Cucumber Seaweed Namasu

Now that November is here, it is a reminder that the family party season is just around the corner.  I wonder what short straw I will draw this year.  I wonder what Kikukat Mom will volunteer me to host.  Frick.

For the first 10 years (or so) of my life, the holiday trifecta was split between my moms and my dads families.  Because Kikukat Dad's family really had their shit together, they were able to put on lunch gatherings.  We went to Uncle A's house for Thanksgiving, Aunty C's house for Christmas, and Gramma's house for New Years Day.  For each of those holidays, we'd end up at my grandparents' house (parents of Kikukat Mom) for dinner.

When I was about 10, things changed with Kikukat Dad's family, and suddenly, everyone was put on a rotation.  With the rotation came the dish assignment by the host and the keeping of a tablet to note what people brought each year (so the same people wouldn't get stuck bringing sashimi to every party and the same cheap asses wouldn't get away with bringing roasted turkey hindquarters each year).  I don't know if any of the aunties took notice, but we ended up with the same food at every party:  bbq sticks, fried chicken, sashimi, and potato macaroni salad.  Sure, there was the turkey & trimmings at Thanksgiving, ham at Christmas, and soba at New Years, but, for the most part, it was the same food at every party. BORING.

Now that I sometimes find myself as the host, I try and do a better job.  First of all, I try not to have too many people bring stuff because then I hear a bunch of lame excuses about how they were late because they had to make this-or-that.  And if that's not bad enough, there are those assholes who show up at party time with uncooked food and expect me to cook it (uh, maybe if you showed up 2 fricking hours earlier I might be more inclined to cook the food for you).  And most importantly, some people make food which I don't care for (e.g., Kikukat Mom's potato-spaghetti salad. . .its full of peas, which is on the same level as the devil's condiment).  Why should I ask people to bring food I won't eat!?!  Sure, I know people ask for others to bring certain things, and that pisses me off. . .hello, you are a guest. . .eat what I serve or don't come.  Attending is YOUR choice.

Now that I'm exhausted from my rant, its time to sharpen the claws for the dreaded phone call from Kikukat Mom. . ."can we come to your house for _______.  I'll make all the food."  Uh, yeah, right.  Since when did that ever happen?  I'm still licking my wounds from last New Years.  In spite of someone else "making all the food", I ended up making a whole bunch of stuff AND having rude guests steal beverages from my bar (you know who you are, you idiot---and don't think we didn't see you grab pie with your bare hands).

Alas, I don't think I'll magically grow a pair and be able to hold strong against Kikukat Mom, so I suppose I should just go along from the get-go, instead of fighting every step of the way.  After all, I end up capitulating anyway.  Shit.  And I might as well start thinking of things I can throw together in a hurry. . .just like I did last year.

Cucumber Seaweed Namasu was one of the dishes I made for the endless New Years party.  It was quick to throw together so it didn't take up much of my time.  Because its so colorful, it looked very festive on the holiday (local-style) table. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Cucumber Seaweed Namasu

     2 Japanese cucumbers, sliced thin on the diagonal and then cut in
          half
     1/2 lb ogo or 1 pkg (8 g) dried seaweed "salad"
     1/2 carrot, julienned thinly
     1 kamaboko, sliced into thin strips
     1 can ajitsuke kogai
     6 tbsp sugar
     6 tbsp rice vinegar
     1 tsp salt

If using ogo, pour boiling water over ogo, drain, and rinse under cold water.  Drain well and cut into 2" pieces.  If using dried seaweed "salad", soak in 10 cups of cold water for 10 minutes then drain well.  Combine sugar, rice vinegar and salt in a small jar with a lid.  Shake until sugar and salt are dissolved.  In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, ogo/seaweed, carrot, kamaboko, and ajitsuke kogai.  Pour dressing over and toss gently.  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Beneath the tropic skies of Hilo. . .

A HUGE shout-out goes to the HHS Viking football team. . .BIIF Division I champs! 

They beat the Kealakehe Waveriders on a wet Saturday evening to claim a berth in the state tournament.  Way to go, boyz!  We are so proud.

                         . . .loyalty and honor shall forever be thine

Cucumber and Chicken Namasu

I'm not sure I'm quite in sync with Hawaii time yet, and I've been back for over a week.  Oddly enough, The Rents, who returned from Japan on Friday, seem to be weathering the time change a lot better than me.  They even went to a party the night they returned!

The Rents went to Hokkaido and Tokyo with UMiles, AKathy & Dus on a tour organized by Marukai, the large Asian store on Oahu (and California).  The last time The Rents were in Japan was fall 2009 when they went with the Marukai group to the Tohoku/Ura Nihon region.  They both said the food this time was far better than the food they had on the Tohoku trip.

I don't know if this is a sign, but I got an email last week from Hawaiian Airlines saying they are offering Honolulu-Fukuoka flights for under $800 rt.  It seems there are a lot of little messages popping up all over for me to take a trip to Japan.  Hmmmmm. . .

The last person in the Kikukat house to take a trip to Japan was D1.  She went on a friendship visit to Sumoto in September 2011 with some members of the HHS Key Club and the East Hawaii Kiwanis Club.  As part of the "debrief", the Key Club and Kiwanis members who went on the trip got together for a luncheon a few weeks after returning.  While most of the food was catered, there were a few dishes brought in by attendees (This is Hawaii, and I'm definitely someone who feels odd to attend functions without bringing something to share).  One of these dishes was cucumber and chicken namasu.  I took a serving, and it was absolutely delicious.  The cucumbers were crunchy, and the sauce was the perfect balance of sweet and pucker.

When I was growing up, I remember namasu being at practically every family gathering, and I made it a point to NEVER touch it.  Namasu is an Asian-style marinated vegetable dish.  It is always served cold and is supposed to be a balance of sweet and sour, hence sugar and vinegar being the main ingredients in the marinade.  I wasn't a big veggie fan, and the idea of vinegar and sugar together just didn't belong. . .back then, I didn't even touch sushi.  And when you are at a function where fried chicken and baked ham grace the table, namasu wasn't even something I even considered taking!  I was definitely an adult when I tasted namasu, and I only tried it because I could hear UJohn crunching on something, and it sounded good.  That something was thinly sliced lotus root, which was sitting in a light sauce with some carrots and shredded dried shrimp.  The lotus root namasu was made by, who else, Aunty Betty (of corned beef hash patty fame).

Since that time, I've been more game at trying different namasu, although I'm still rather selective about the ingredients I see in it.  I don't usually care for namasu with seaweed in it. . .don't ask me why, but I think anything with wet seaweed in it is likely to be slimy.  I also look at the cucumbers to check out the seed factor; too many seeds floating around makes me stay away too (this is why I prefer Japanese or English cucumbers).

As was the case with cucumber and chicken namasu, as soon as I got home, I looked in a dozen cookbooks for the recipe, knowing I had seen it in several of my books.  I took a chance on one of the recipes and adjusted the ingredients so it tasted like the one brought to the luncheon.  Don't worry about having to finish eating the dish in one sitting.  The cucumbers will stay crunchy for several days.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Cucumber and Chicken Namasu

     2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

     4 japanese cucumbers

     salt

     1/2 c sugar

     1/2 c shoyu

     1/2 c vinegar

     1 1/2 tsp hondashi

     2 tbsp sesame seeds

     3 tbsp sesame oil

     1/4 tsp hot chili oil

Boil chicken in salted water for 30 minutes.  Shred.  Cut cucumber into pieces and soak in ice water for 30 minutes.  Drain well.  Combine cucumbers and shredded chicken with all other ingredients.  Chill until ready to serve.

Cutting the cucumbers:  The recipes I came across all said to cut the cucumber in thin slices.  In the dish brought to the luncheon, the cucumbers were cut in the most interesting way.  Each piece of cucumber actually had 3 thin slices (the middle 2 cuts are not cut all the way through).  I tried to duplicate the cucumbers in the luncheon dish because I found the larger chunks of cucumber to be easier to manage.  In the picture to the right, in the lower right quadrant, you can clearly see a cucumber with this type of cut.  The cuts allow the sauce to penetrate, but the thicker (overall) cucumber pieces match better with the shreds of the chicken.

And if you're still with me, please enjoy the slideshow I made for The Rents.  It goes well with the whole Japanese-y theme of this week's post.  Be sure your speakers are on.

This free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox